Heretofore sectional plastic molding dies having stationary and movable clamp plates or clamping slots integral to the die have been removably positioned within and between stationary and movable platens of a molding machine and suitably secured thereto. Often the plastic molding machine may employ additional plastic molding dies to replace the first mentioned molding die. The problem heretofore has been in the disassembly of a sectional plastic molding die from said platens and the reassembly of a different plastic molding die thereon required a separate securing of the clamp plates thereof to the corresponding platens of the molding machine. Locating rings upon the cavity halves were needed to effectively align the cavity tools to the respective platens. This required considerable time in reanchoring and realigning successively the second or third plastic molding die upon the molding machine so that the same molding machine may be used for a plurality of different molding operations including the use of separately employed plastic molding sectional dies.
There has existed a need by which in a simple manner a first plastic molding die may be quickly located and mounted upon the platens of a molding machine and secured thereon for a particular molding operation. Means are needed for unclamping a first plastic molding die and locating and reassembling another plastic molding die for a different job into the plastic molding machine and for clamping the same thereon.
Related Patent Application is identified as Ser. No. 500,537, filed June 2, 1983 and now U.S. Pat. No. 4,472,128.